Adjustment mechanism for helicopter stabilizing surfaces



STANLEY ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM FOR HELICOPTER May 1, 1951 P. H.

STABILIZING SURFACES Filed Feb 27, 1948 TTORN EYS.

Patented May 1, 1951 ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM FOR HELI- I COPTER STABILIZING SURFACES Paul H. Stanley, Glenside, .Pa., assignor to Auto- ;giro Company of America, Rhiladelphia, Pa, a.corporationofDelaware Application February 27, 1948, Serial No. 11,624

.6 Claims. .(Cl. 244-17.19)

. p v 1 This invention relates to helicopters and is especially concerned with that type of helicopter having a sustaining rotor of which the lift line is tiltable so as to introduce a horizontal thrust component and thereby effect translational flight of the helicopter. 1

In a typical helicopter of the type referred to, a single multi-bladed sustaining rotor is utilized, and provision is made for cyclic variation of blade pitch for the purpose of flight control and also for the purpose of setting up a horizontal thrust component. In such an aircraft a control orgap, for instance a pivotally mounted control stick is coupled with the rotor blades for pitch control. Fore and aft movement of the control stick acts on the pitch of the rotor blades in such manner as to tilt the :rotor lift line in the fore and aft plane. Thus, when it is desired to introduce a horizontal thrust component in the forward direction, the control stick is moved forable for setting up nose down moments is reduced and, in addition, the neutral or :mid position of the stick in forward :fi-ight is altered .(shifted forwardly) as compared with the neutral or mid position when in hovering flight. With the foregoing in mind, the present invention contemplates the employment of an adjustable stabilizer surface so positioned as to set up moments in the pitching plane, and at the same time the invention providessemi-automatic adjustment mechanism for this stabilizer surface. The adjustment mechanism is arranged to set up anose-down moment when the control stick is moved forwardly to establish forward translational'flight. In this way the neutral or midposition of the stick may always be retained substantially in the same relation to the pilot under various conditions of flight, such as hovering flight and forward translation.

In the preferred embodimentof the invention,

the stabilizer adjustment mechanism is ac-tuable 2 How the foregoing and other objects and advantages are attained will appear more fully from the following description referring to the accom panying drawing in which:

Figure l is a somewhat diagrammatic sideelevational view of a helicopter incorporating the stabilizer control mechanism of the present invention; and Figure 2 is an enlarged somewhatdiagrammatic view of-certain .of the control par-ts associated with a typical control stick. Ihe aircraft illustrated by way of example comprises a body- 3 having .a sustaining :rotor comprising a hub i to which a plurality (for in:

stance three.) rotor blades 5 are vpivotally connected. The pivots for each blade preferably include a pivot providing freedom for blade move-- ment in the flapping sense and a pivot providing freedom for pitch change movementof the blade, the pitch being controllable as by means of a swash ring .6 in a'm-anner understood in this art, for instance as described in the copendi-ng application of Harris S. Campbell, Serial No.'605,5'7 7 filed July 17., 19455.

It will be understood that in the illustrative aircraft shown in Figure 1 the rotor is power driven from an engine carried in the body. Rotor driving torque is compensated for by means of an antitorque rotor l arranged toward the tail of the aircraft.

Any suitable manual control organ may be employed for regulation of the cyclic variation of blade pitch angle, for instance a control stick 8 pivotally mounted at '49. This control stick is linked with the bellcrank i9 .and operating connections ii are extended from the bellcrank to the pitch control mechanism at the hub in a manner which need not be considered herein. Movement of the control stick either forwardly or rearwardlyof amid position, for instance the full line position shown in Figure 1, introduces a cyclic variation of blade pitch angle such as to; correspondingly tilt the rotor thrust line. Ifhe rotor thrust line thus is controllable with ref-' erence to the .center of gravity of the aircraft as a whole andin this way moments are set up tending to tilt the aircraft in the pitching plane.

Assuming that a take-off has been made verti cally and that the aircraft is in hovering flight,- with the control stick in-neutral position (the full line position of Figure 1), translational flight is initiated by moving the control stick forwardly, forinstanceto the dottedposition 8a. This-causes the rotor ,lift line to tilt forwardly above the rotor and thereby introduces .aahorizontal thrust com ponent in the forward direction. The aircraft now commences translational flight and assumes a somewhat nose-down attitude. Continuance of this translational flight requires that the control stick be retained in a position displaced somewhat forwardly of the neutral position for hovering flight. Thus, for translational flight, the control stick has assumed a new neutral setting with reference to which fore and aft displacements must be made if the longitudinal attitude of the aircraft is to be changed. As a further result, the available range of control stick movement in the forward direction (for effecting normal changes in longitudinal attitude) is diminshed. The shifting of the neutral stick position as between a condition of hovering flight and a condition of translational flight is confusing to the pilot.

With the foregoing in mind, the present invention contemplates the employment of an ad- J'ustable stabilizer such as shown at I2. This stabilizer is offset longitudinally of the aircraft from the rotor axis and is mounted for change in angle of attack about a pivot I3. The angle of attack is adjustable by means of a screw thread device !4 rotatable by means of a shaft [5 carrying a pulley with which a belt l6 cooperates, the belt also cooperating with a pulley on shaft I 1 of the reversible motor IS.

The windings of the motor are connected with certain switch control elements associated with the control stick. One motor connection or lead [9 extends to a suitable source of current such as the battery indicated at 26, and from the battery a wire 2| is extended to the control stick and upwardly therethrough to a contact 22 mounted within the hand grip. A cooperating contact operated by a push button 24 is connected by a wire 25 with an arcuate contact member 26 carried by the control stick below the pivot 9. A pair of contact elements 21 and 28 are mounted in position to cooperate with the member 26 upon movement of the control stick. Elements 2'! and 28 are coupled with the motor by wires 29 and 30 respectively.

The operation of the system described is as follows:

Assuming again that a vertical take-01f has been made and the aircraft is in hovering flight, the pilot may now initiate translational flight and may actuate the push button contact 24 during the forward movement of the control stick. This will complete a motor .driving circuit through the contact parts 26 and 28 and thereby operate the motor in a direction to adjust the stabilizer to the position indicated at I211. As the stabilizer moves toward position l2a, it sets up a nose-down moment which increases gradually during the movement of the stabilizer. The control stick may thus be gradually moved back toward neutral position with the stabilizer moment replacing the nose-down moment from the forward position of the stick. When the control stick reaches the neutral region, the circuit is broken through lack of contact at 28 even though the button 24 may be engaged. Thus the stabilizer automatically reaches proper nosedown position [2a and remains there as long as the stick is retained in neutral. The push button 24 may, of course, be released upon return to neutral position, and while the push button is released the stick may be moved to any desired extent without change in stabilizer position. In this way the full range of control stick movement is available for normal control of lon- 4 gitudinal attitude, notwithstanding the fact that the aircraft is now in translational flight. When changing back to a condition of hovering flight, a similar operation is performed, 1. e., the pilot displaces the control stick rearwardly, with the push button 24 depressed, thereby completing a motor circuit through the elements 26 and 21.

This operates the motor in the opposite direction and moves the stabilizer surface from a position such as that represented by the dotted showing I2a to a position such as indicated in full lines (or even beyond if desired). Release of push button 24 will then again permit normal use of the control stick for controlling the longitudinal attitude of the aircraft.

It is of importance in the arrangement described that the stabilizer is adjusted by virtue of movement of the control stick itself, and also that the push button control for rendering the adjustment mechanism operative or inoperative is mounted on the hand grip of the control stick, since in this way a single hand of the pilot may readily serve not only for the normal longitudinal attitude control but also for the stabilizer adjust ment, leaving the other hand of the pilot free to regulate other controls, such for example as the customary engine throttle control or a contro for the mean rotor blade pitch angle.

A illustrated, it is preferred that the contact parts 26, 2'? and 28 be arranged so as to provide a small limited range of stick movement in either direction from a neutral position Without engaging the arcuate contact 26 with either of the elementsZ'i or 28. This i of advantage in providing for limited control stick movement such as may be required to maintain a steady position in hovering flight, without engagement of the contacts. This contact spacing also accommodates limited variations in the neutral setting which may arise as a result of longitudinal shift in C. G. location due to diiferences in loading.

I claim: I

1. In an aircraft having a powered sustaining rotor the lift line of which is controllable in a longitudinal sense to regulate longitudinal attitude and translational flight of the aircraft, a pilot operable rotor control organ for longitudinal attitude and flight control, a stabilizer surface adjustable to different angles to var the longitudinal attitude of the aircraft during translational flight, the said control organ having a mid position of adjustment corresponding to hovering flight in a longitudinally horizontal attitude, control mechanism for regulating the angle of the stabilizer surface, comprising operating elements associated with the said control organ arranged to be activated by said control organ only upon adjustment of the said control organ beyond a limited range of adjustment from the mid posi-- tion, and a pilot operable device for rendering said mechanism effective or ineffective.

' 2. In an aircraft having a powered sustaining rotor the lift line of which is controllable in a longitudinal sense to regulate longitudinal attitude and translational flight of the aircraft, a pilot operable rotor control organ for longitudinal attitude and flight control, a stabilizer surface adjustable to different angles to vary the longitudinal attitude of the aircraft during translational flight, the control organ having a mid position of adjustment corresponding to hovering flight in a longitudinally horizontal attitude, control mechanism for regulating the angle of the stabilizer surface comprising reversible operating means and, in electrical circuit therewith, controlling electric contact elements associated with the control organ and operative to reverse the operation of said mechanism upon adjustment of the control organ in opposite senses from said mid position.

3. A construction according to claim 2 and further including a pilot operable device for render ing said mechanism effective or ineffective.

4. A construction according to claim 3 in which said pilot operable device comprises an electric switch physically associated with the control organ to provide for operation of the switch and of the control organ by a single hand of the pilot.

5. In an aircraft having a powered bladed sustaining rotor with pitch control for shifting the lift line longitudinally of the aircraft to regulate the longitudinal attitude of the aircraft, a pilot operable pitch control organ movable in opposite directions from a mid position corresponding to a longitudinally horizontal attitude, an adjustable stabilizer surface for setting up variable moment acting to influence the longitudinal 30 Number REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date 844,048 France ....a Apr. 11, 1939 

